Despite Slow Start, Giants Blow Out Browns

Sunday, October 7 2012

Post Game Recap

Final Score: Cleveland Browns: 27 New York Giants 41

Giants down Browns despite Slow Start

Before there was a sweat broken by either team, the Giants found themselves down 14-0 to the winless Browns.  It proved to just be a little blip on the radar for the Giants, who eventually got warmed up and rolled the Browns 41-27, rattling off 20 unanswered points in a 13 and a half minute span.  The Giants will need to avoid slow starts like this as the outcome will not be as pleasant against upper echelon teams.

This was a game the Giants needed to have and after a rough start they handled business.  This was a prototypical trap game for the Giants, but they overcame the slow start and finished strong.  No one epitomized that more than Ahmad Bradshaw.

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Bradshaw started the game by fumbling, after running into Chris Snee on the first play from scrimmage.  The Browns followed the turnover with a touchdown, putting the Giants in the early hole.  Bradshaw ran like a man possessed the rest of the afternoon, tearing the Browns defense up for a career high 200 yards on 30 carries and a touchdown.  Bradshaw also contributed in the pass game with four receptions for 29 yards. 

It was an impressive performance for Bradshaw and one the Giants needed badly; backup running back Andre Brown suffered a concussion on a kick return in the first quarter, leaving Bradshaw as the workhorse.  David Wilson made a cameo in the backfield and made the most of it, ripping off a 40 yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.  Wilson looked like he was shot out of a cannon with how fast he was moving, looking to have a lot of pent up energy after not being featured in the offense much throughout the season thus far.

Eli Manning also did his thing for the Giants, even without starting wide receiver Hakeem Nicks for the third straight game and Martellus Bennett suffering a hyper-extended knee.  Ramses Barden also was out with a concussion, but the next players in line stepped up and performed extremely well, as Manning showed once again that no matter who is put on the field he can make them produce.

Rookie second round pick Rueben Randle got his first extended action of the season and made the most of it, catching six balls for 82 yards.  Whatever talk he had with Manning during the week in practice must have worked, as Randle had his most impressive showing thus far in his young career. 

Domenik Hixon also had a strong game, starting opposite of Victor Cruz with Nicks’ absence.  Hixon caught five balls for 55 yards, working all over the field for the Giants.  Cruz had a big game for the Giants as well, catching all three of Manning’s touchdown passes.  He ended the game with five receptions for 50 yards and the three touchdowns.

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The Giants defense at first look at a very underwhelming day, but a few players stood out and both happen to be substitutions.  Stevie Brown, starting for the injured Kenny Phillips at safety, and Will Hill seeing his playing time increased because of injures, both had major impacts on the game. 

Brown made a momentum changing interception in the second quarter off Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden, which the Giants turned into a touchdown to a tying score.  On the ensuing kickoff, Hill forced a fumble on return man Josh Cribbs and Brown was on the spot to make the recovery. 

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Brown has been very productive when on the field filling in for Phillips and Antrel Rolle.  Brown should continue to start in place of Phillips, but Hill will not be seen for at least four weeks.  Hill was suspended four weeks by the NFL for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.  Tyler Sash will take Hill’s roster spot for the time being, as he is also returning from his own suspension because of the same incident.

Next up for the Giants is a rematch from the NFC Championship game, as they will travel to San Francisco to take on the 49ers and some old faces in Mario Manningham and Brandon Jacobs.  

Giants Team Grades: Week 4 vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Sunday, September 30 2012

Final Score: New York Giants: 17 Philadelphia Eagles: 19

Giants Team Grades

The Giants were once again unable to put together a full game against the Eagles, resulting in yet another heartbreaking loss to them.  The Giants have lost nine of the last 10 games against the Eagles including the playoffs.  Some questionable decisions and poor execution led to the Giants dropping to 0-2 in the NFC East and 2-2 overall.

Passing Offense Grade: C+

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Eli Manning’s stats look good on the game, throwing for 309 yards and two touchdowns and having the Giants in a position to win at the end of the game.  Manning was hit a few times, but the offensive line protected him enough to not give up any sacks.  Victor Cruz stepped up in the absence of Hakeem Nicks and his replacement Domenik Hixon was huge. 

If the whole game went like that, the grade would be much higher; sadly it did not.  Manning threw a back-breaking interception to start the fourth quarter with the Giants knocking on the Eagles goal line.  He also mad a poor decision on the offensive pass interference called on Ramses Barden, putting Barden in a tough spot and ultimately taking the Giants out of field goal range. 

Barden had drawn two pass interference calls earlier in the drive, but Manning went to the well one too many times.  It was a rare lack of judgment and decision making by Manning, who is usually lights out in the fourth quarter.  Manning does deserve credit though for the drive he orchestrated that staked the Giants a 17-16 lead in the fourth quarter, going 83 yards on five plays ending with a touchdown to Bear Pascoe.

Rushing Offense Grade: D

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Ahmad Bradshaw returned to the lineup after hurting his neck against Tampa Bay but had no impact; the Giants run game was shut down once again.  Bradshaw was only able to gain 39 yards on 13 carries, too often looking outside on plays drawn to run up between the tackles.

Overnight sensation Andre Brown only got five carries on the night for 14 yards.  The Giants were never able to get the ground game going and abandoned it, putting the game on Manning’s shoulders.  Brown needs more touches in the coming games as the run game has not been effective with Bradshaw feature in it for over a season.

Pass Defense Grade: B+

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The Giants suffered another devastating injury in the secondary, this time to Kenny Phillips.  Phillips is the best player in the defensive backfield and losing him is a huge blow to an already decimated secondary. 

Even with the injury to Phillips, the Giants were still able to contain the Eagles passing game, limiting Vick to 241 yards and one touchdown.  They were not able to get enough pressure on Vick though, as they only hit him three times and sacked him twice, one coming when Vick slide at the end of the Eagles game winning field goal drive. 

Prince Amukamara had a strong game covering Jeremy Maclin, limiting him to only one catch for seven yards.  DeSean Jackson had a strong game though, catching six balls for 99 yards and a touchdown.  Brent Celek also hurt the Giants some, catching a few passes that resulted in first downs.

Rush Defense Grade: D

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At the start of the game, the Giants run defense was outstanding.  LeSean McCoy was held to just two yards at halftime and Vick had no rushing yards in the same time.  Disappointingly for the Giants, the second half was a polar opposite.

McCoy shredded the Giants for 121 yards in the second half and allowed 49 to Vick.  McCoy and Vick were able to take advantage of the aggressive Giant defensive line, continuously exposing them and beating them to the corner to the sidelines for big gains. 

The Giant defenders, specifically Osi Umenyiora and Jason Pierre-Paul, were not staying home and allowing the Eagles big plays on cut back runs.  Umenyiora and Pierre-Paul were not staying home and holding contain, something head coach Tom Coughlin is going to rip into them for.

The Giants were able to make a huge stand from the two-yard line, but were unable to stop the run any other time.  The time of possession edge the Eagles held, 33:21 to 26:39, is evidence that the Eagles were running over the Giants and put the Giants in a tough spot.

Special Teams: B+

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Lawrence Tynes missed the game winning field goal from 54 yards but never should have been put in that situation.  It was a yard past his career high of 53 yards and only happened because of poor management.  Tynes did knock in his other field goal attempt of the game, from 25 yards out. 

Steve Weatherford had a net of only 38.5 yards on five punts, but the Eagles were only able to return one of the punts for three yards.  That is solid from Weatherford, as he continuously put the Eagles deep in their own end of the field and did not allow anything crazy to happen, something Giants and Eagles fans are used to in these match-ups.

David Wilson was the star of the special teams Sunday night, showing explosiveness and giving the Giants great field position all night.  Wilson had six returns for 217 yards, having returns of 53 and 45 yards in the second half.  Wilson looked like he could take any kickoff back to the house on multiple occasions, giving the Giants a weapon they have lacked in recent seasons.  It is nice to see Wilson have an impact on the game in other aspects than the offense, as he is still struggling there but excelling on special teams.

Coaching Grade: B

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The defense struggled at times to contain McCoy and Vick on the ground, but otherwise did a solid job given the predicament of losing yet another starter in the secondary.  The run game needs to get figured out, as the coaching staff should look to give Brown some more touches and possible working Wilson in some more after his electric performance on special teams. 

Playing for a field goal on the last drive is something that will be raised all week, as the Giants were well within Tynes’ range when the offensive pass interference occurred.  Even so, the Giants were in the game and almost stole a game in a very hostile environment but the Giants are beyond morale victories.

Coughlin and his staff are going to have to make sure the Giants stay focused on the task ahead in the Cleveland Browns, as this is a typical trap game.  The Giants have the Browns at home this weekend before playing at San Francisco the following week.  The Giants need to handle business this week before moving onto the 49ers.

Eagles Hold Off Comeback, Drop Giants

Sunday, September 30 2012

Post Game Recap

Final Score: New York Giants: 17 Philadelphia Eagles: 20

Eagles Hold Off Comeback, Drop Giants

It was another classic game in the rivalry between the Giants and Eagles that ended in a way becoming too commonplace for Giants fans.  The Giants were outplayed and lost a heartbreaking game, giving them nine losses in the last 10 games including the playoffs. 

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The Giants had their opportunity to win, as Eli Manning put the Giants ahead half way through the fourth quarter, but the Giants defense could not contain the Eagles offense.  Manning put the Giants in place for a game winning field goal from Lawrence Tynes, but had them in better position before a questionable throw to Ramses Barden that resulted in 10-yard offensive pass interference on Barden.

Manning had a good game, but had an opportunity to make it an excellent game if not for some uncharacteristic mistakes by the usually calm and cool-mannered Manning.  Manning started the fourth quarter with an ugly interception, not seeing Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie on a pass intended for Martellus Bennett.  The Eagles converted that turnover into a field goal, giving them a 16-10 lead.  That was a big shift in the game, as it was at least a six point swing, potentially 10 as the Giants were banging on the door of the end zone.

Manning was able to redeem himself following the Eagles’ field goal, as he manufactured an 83 yard drive on five plays, giving the Giants a 17-16 lead.  Manning hit both Barden and Domenik Hixon for big plays, ending the drive with a six-yard touchdown pass to Bear Pascoe.

After the defense was unable to hold the Eagles scoreless, Manning had his shot to win the game.  Manning was able to drive the Giants down to the Eagles 27 yard line thanks to two pass interference calls against the Eagles trying to guard Barden.

Manning went to the well one too many times, attempting another deep pass to Barden on the sidelines, this time resulting in an offensive pass interference and moving the Giants back to the Eagles 37 yard line, setting up Tynes for a 54 yard field goal instead of 44. 

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It was a moment of lapse in judgment for Manning, who if given the opportunity would definitely do it different next time.  The Giants were already in field goal range for Tynes, so the deep pass was unnecessary; a running play to set up Tynes in the middle of the field would have sufficed. Also, Barden was well covered and was put into a bad position by Manning, who took responsibility saying it was not the correct throw. 

The penalty also put the Giants in a tough position, as they had no timeouts remaining and with only 15 seconds left in the game.  Running a play was too risky, as it was third down so the Giants would not have been able to spike the ball to stop the clock and if the player was unable to get out of bounds the game would have been over.

People will criticize head coach Tom Coughlin for the decision, but he made the correct decision in my opinion because he at least gave his team a chance to win the game with the 54 yard kick.  Had he ran another play, Tynes may not have even had an opportunity to kick.

Manning was missing his best weapon in Hakeem Nicks for the second straight game, but saw a big performance from Hixon in his place.  Hixon led the Giants in receiving tonight, gaining 114 yards on six receptions.  Hixon stepped up much in the way Barden did last week against the Panthers.  Even with the strong performance by Hixon, Manning and Giant fans alike are anxious to see Nicks return to the field.

The secondary became even more of a mess tonight; yet another starter went down with injury.  The Giants entered the game without rookie Jayron Hosley, who had a hamstring injury and Kenny Phillips suffered a gruesome looking knee injury in the first half and was replace by Stevie Brown.  Michael Coe and Antrel Rolle were dealing with hamstring and knee injuries entering the game, but were active.  Corey Webster was also active even with a broken left hand. 

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The Giants secondary is decimated and losing Phillips would be the most devastating blow of the bunch.  Terrell Thomas being lost in training camp hurts, but Phillips is who sets up the defense and is an intimidating presence in the defensive backfield.  He is a leader out there and the Giants were visibly affected after he left the game, becoming gun shy against the speedy Eagles’ offense.

The Giants return to MetLife Stadium for their week five game against the Cleveland Browns.  This has trap game written all over it, as the Giants have a huge match-up with the San Francisco 49ers in week six.  After the loss tonight though, full confidence should be stored in Coughlin and the coaching staff to come out strong against a very young and inexperienced Browns team.

New York Giants Camp Preview: Defensive Backs

A new NFL season is right around the corner as training camp is quickly approaching.  Leading up to the start of training camp, we will have a run down position-by-position for the defending Super Bowl Champion New York Giants. 

The third position we will take a look at is defensive back.

The projected defensive starting backs are Corey Webster and Terrell Thomas at cornerback and Kenny Phillips and Antrel Rolle at safety.  Expected reserves to make an impact at cornerback are Jayron Hosley, Prince Amukamara, Michael Coe and Justin Tryon; at safety Tyler Sash and Stevie Brown are expected to see playing time.

New additions to the secondary this season are Hosley, Brown, cornerback Antwaun Molden, safeties Will Hill and JoJo Nicolas and defensive backs Janzen Jackson and Dante Hughes.

There are a few members from last year’s unit that will not be returning this season in Aaron Ross, Will Blackmon, Derrick Martin and Deon Grant.  Grant has the best chance of returning, as he is a great locker room presence and had such a positive impact on the Giants the last few seasons.

The player to watch out of the defensive backs is Terrell Thomas.  Thomas has been cleared for training camp and avoided a scare early on suffering a slight injury to his ACL.  Last season Thomas suffered his second career ACL tear after having an outstanding camp and looking poised to really breakout.  Thomas will upgrade the Giants defensive back unit greatly if he can return to where he was before the ACL injury; Thomas led the Giants defense in tackles the previous two seasons.

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The potential for the defensive backs to be a strength for the Giants is there.  It will be a competitive unit throughout camp and barring injury can be deep.  Coe and Tyron shined during OTA’s and mini-camps according to Thomas, as they took up snaps he left behind while taking it slowly with his injury.  General Manger Jerry Reese also added some talent with Brown, Molden and Horton being signed in addition to drafting Hosley.  Cornerback Brandon Bing also received praise from defensive coordinator Perry Fewell for his play throughout OTA’s.

Another thing to watch for is the development of Amukamara.  Amukamara injured his foot in his second career practice last season and was never able to get back on track, struggling throughout the season.  He will benefit from a full training camp and preseason this time around.  If he is unable to bounce back, look for veterans Coe and Tryon to pick up the slack and possibly Bruce Johnson, who is returning from his own season ending injury. 

Health is the biggest deterrent for this group.  Thomas, Coe, Tryon and Johnson are all returning from season-ending injuries.  Thomas already suffered a scare in camp and if he is unable to return to form the Giants will need someone to step up after Aaron Ross left to sign with the Jacksonville Jaguars.  Amukamara needed an injection in his foot to strengthen it after missing over half of last season.  With Grant remaining unsigned, the Giants are also without valuable experience and leadership in the locker room.

The wild card of this group is Amukamara.  He was brought in with high expectations as the Giants were shocked to see him fall to them in the 2011 NFL Draft with the 19^th pick.  Most of his rookie year was lost because of his foot injury and the lockout being in place but a full off-season should benefit him.  He was drafted with the expectation of being a starting cornerback for the Giants in the near future; that future could be as early as this season as he will have to take over for the departed Ross and will be first in line to take over if Thomas is unable to perform.  

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New York Giants Draft Preview: Secondary

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This is the 9^th and final installment of posts breaking down the Giants position by position for the upcoming NFL Draft.  The last position is the secondary.

Currently, the Giants have Corey Webster, Terrell Thomas, Prince Amukamara, Antwaun Molden, Bruce Johnson, Brian Witherspoon, Michael Coe, Justin Tryon and Brandon Bing at corner back on the depth chart.  At safety, the Giants currently have Antrel Rolle, Kenny Phillips, Tyler Sash, Stevie Brown, Chris Horton and Chad Jones on the depth chart.  Currently un-signed from last season for the Giants is Deon Grant, Will Blackmon and Derrick Martin.

Most moves made by the Giants so far this off-season has come in the secondary, albeit they were minor ones.  Thomas was re-signed after suffering an ACL injury during the preseason last year.  The Giants are hoping he can return to his old form as Thomas was really starting to come into his own along side Corey Webster.  Amukamara is looking to improve off what was a disappoint rookie season that was derailed by injury from the start.  Amukamara broke a bone in his foot in his second practice last off-season, and is looking to bounce back.  Recently, Amukamara received an injection to help the foot heal, but should be ready by the time training camp roles around.  Having him healthy would be a huge benefit as the Giants could use some help at cornerback after Aaron Ross left this off-season to join the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

Molden, Brown and Horton were added mostly for depth.  All three have potential to help the team on special teams since cracking the rotation will be tough.  Johnson, Coe and Tryon were all re-signed from last season.  The secondary, even though from the looks is deep, has its question marks.  Thomas, Johnson, Coe, Witherspoon and Tryon all suffered season ending injuries, so no one knows for sure how effective they will be once training camps open up. 

Rolle and Phillips return for the Giants this season, giving the Giants one of the best safety combinations in the NFL.  Popular veteran Deon Grant though still remains unsigned and it remains to be seen what the Giants do with him.  His veteran leadership is a quality that would not hurt the Giants adding.  There is a possibility the Giants bring him into the fold later in the off-season, but they do like what they have in last years 6^th round pick Tyler Sash.  Adding linebacker Keith Rivers may make Grant expendable also because he should not need to use three safeties on the field together as much. 

Chad Jones suffered injuries in a horrific car accident after being selected by the Giants in 2010.  The accident almost cost Jones his life and left leg, but he is attempting to return this off-season.  If Jones is able to return and give the Giants anything, it would be considered a huge bonus.  Jones is an inspiration to everyone in the organization attempting a comeback from such a life changing experience. 

The last time the Giants went secondary in the draft was last year, when they selected Amukamara in the first round out of Nebraska and Sash in the sixth round out of Iowa.  The Giants have been taking a look at a number defensive backs and it makes sense. 

The front office will have a lot of decisions to make after this season, having only six defensive backs under contract past this year (Webster, Amukamara, Thomas, Rolle, Sash and Jones).  The Giants would like to retain Phillips as his contract is up this season, but you never know.  Reese always has an eye on the future, which is what the draft is for so seeing the Giants take some secondary players would be a surprise to no one.  The fact they have so many players returning from injuries is also a concern and reason for the Giants to look secondary in this year’s draft. 

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There are a number of options for the Giants in the draft this year.  If Notre Dame Safety Harrison Smith is there at 32, the Giants will have to take a long hard look at him.  Another player to keep an eye on is Dre Kirkpatrick out of Alabama.  He has told the Giants they will need to trade up to get him, but there are a few people that think he may be in for a fall down the draft board.  Janoris Jenkins formerly of Florida University, out of Northern Alabama comes with a lot of baggage but is highly talented.  ProFootballTalk.com has said that the Giants have had Arizona State cornerback Omar Bolden for two visits, so keep an eye out for him on draft day. 

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With so many question marks surrounding the secondary this season and into the future, it would seem like drafting a cornerback or safety would be a logical move.  I would place the necessity for a player in the secondary to be drafted at a 5 for the Giants.

So there it is the last installment of the NFL Draft preview for the New York Football Giants.  Leave comments to let us know what you thought of the coverage and how you think we did.  Hope you all enjoy watching the draft this weekend.